What Naples Botanical Garden does

Naples Botanical Garden is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit botanical garden operating a 170-acre campus at 4820 Bayshore Drive, Naples, Florida, that opened to the public in 2009 after being incorporated in 1993. Its operations span three integrated functions: a public-facing horticulture destination, an education platform, and a conservation research operation. The Garden maintains curated living plant collections representing Brazil, the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, and Florida, alongside more than 90 acres of restored native habitats (marsh, mangrove, pineland, scrub) actively managed through prescribed burns and seed collection programs. The 2024 Evenstad Horticulture Campus extends capabilities into tropical plant production and conservation horticulture as one of only a handful of such facilities in the United States.

The organization generates revenue across seven distinct streams: paid garden admissions (27 dollars per adult; children free in summer), annual memberships including a premium Royal Palm Society tier, philanthropic donations and corporate sponsorships (with named supporters including the Thomas and Carol Joseph Foundation and William Raveis), on-site food service at Fogg Café, retail at Berger Shop, seasonal plant sales, fee-based guided tours and school field trips, and venue rental for private events. Major annual events (Tasting the Tropics festival, Hats in the Garden fundraiser) drive peak visitation and high-margin contributed revenue. Distribution is entirely direct-to-consumer through on-site visitation and the naplesgarden.org website.

The Garden is led by Interim President & CEO Carl Crosetto (appointed December 2025) and a senior team including the VPs of Horticulture, Conservation, Education & Interpretation, Facility Operations, Development/Marketing, People, and Finance. Its conservation work extends internationally through the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation and Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI), with VP of Conservation Chad Washburn convening a network of more than 250 Caribbean and Central American botanical gardens. The organization holds Charity Navigator Four-Star and Candid Platinum Seal of Transparency designations, and earned a Gold Medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

Name

Naples Botanical Garden

Legal name

Naples Botanical Garden, Inc.

Website

https://naplesgarden.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Naples Botanical Garden is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit operating a 170-acre botanical garden in Naples, Florida, serving general public visitors, families, K-12 schools, members, and donors through paid admissions, memberships, education programs, and conservation initiatives including seed banking, habitat restoration, and international plant conservation partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Botanical Garden & Conservation Services

NAICS

Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190), Nursery and Floriculture Production (11142)

akta.pro primary industry

Parks, Gardens & Botanical Attractions (THAJACAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Protected Cultivation of Specialty Crops (Orchids, Bonsai, Exotics) (AFAGAHAH)

Keywords

• Botanical garden operations
• Conservation horticulture services
• Environmental education programs
• Habitat restoration services
• Nature-based solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Naples

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Garden Admission Tickets: Revenue from adult and non-member visitors purchasing daily admission. Adults pay $27 per visit.
2. Membership Program: Annual membership subscriptions providing free admission, exclusive early entry, and discounts. Members receive 10% off plant sales.
3. Donations & Philanthropy: Tax-deductible charitable contributions from individuals, foundations, and corporate sponsors supporting conservation and education missions.
4. Sponsorship: Corporate sponsorships for events like Hats in the Garden and general operations. Sponsors include Thomas and Carol Joseph Foundation, Anne and Senator Rick Scott, William Raveis, and others.
5. On-site Retail & Food Service: Revenue from Fogg Café food service and Berger Shop merchandise sales. Plant sales at events like Tasting the Tropics offer Garden-grown plants.
6. Tours & Educational Programs: Fee-based specialty tours (e.g., Fruits of the Caribbean tours at $10 Member / $15 Non-Member), educational workshops, and school field trip programs.
7. Private Events: Venue rental for private events including weddings, corporate functions, and celebrations at Garden facilities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Naples Botanical Garden operates a 170-acre botanical garden offering public admission, annual memberships, educational programs, and conservation initiatives. Core operations include cultivated gardens and natural preserves featuring tropical and subtropical plants, on-site food service and retail, guided and self-guided tours, school field trips, and venue rentals for private events. Conservation programs span seed banking, habitat restoration across more than 90 acres, prescribed burns, and international plant conservation partnerships coordinated through the Center for Nature-Based Solutions and the Evenstad Horticulture Campus.

Product overview

Naples Botanical Garden is a 170-acre world-class botanical garden featuring plants from around the world, including Brazil, the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, and Florida. The organization offers a unified visitor experience combining garden admission, membership programs, educational initiatives, and conservation efforts. Core offerings include public garden access with guided and self-guided tours (tram tours, guided tours), family and adult educational programming (workshops, school visits, Nature Play), and conservation programs through the Center for Nature-Based Solutions. On-site amenities include Fogg Café and Berger Shop. Major annual events include Tasting the Tropics festival and Hats in the Garden fundraiser. Conservation work spans seed banking, prescribed burns, and international plant conservation through the Evenstad Horticulture Campus and Global Contributions program. Publications include Cultivate (biannual magazine) and Conserve (annual conservation magazine).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Garden Admission

Quantifiable outcome

• Restored and managed over 90 acres of native habitats including marsh, mangrove, pineland, and scrub
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChad Washburn serves as a BGCI-US board member. Naples Botanical Garden collaborates with BGCI on international plant conservation efforts and connects with botanical gardens from over 100 countries through BGCI's network.
• Mauritian Wildlife FoundationflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for international tree conservation on Rodrigues Island near Mauritius. Garden staff led the rescue of five endangered trees representing four species threatened by airport expansion, including Polyscias rodriguesiana (only 9 left in wild) and Foetidia rodriguesiana (57 mature specimens remaining).
• Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research ReservecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership on coastal habitat restoration, seed collecting, and community preserve management. Garden staff participate in regional conservation efforts including seed gathering expeditions and habitat assessments at Rookery Bay.
• Southwest Florida Water Management DistrictcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on water conservation and environmental management. The District issued water shortage warnings during drought conditions, and the Garden provides expertise on drought-resistant landscaping and water management strategies.
• O'Donnell Landscapes Inc.minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAl O'Donnell, owner of O'Donnell Landscapes Inc. of Estero, supported Brian Galligan's travel to Rodrigues Island and contributed expertise in tree-moving techniques.
• Collier CountyminorOthersCollaboration with Collier County on community preserve management workshops and regional conservation initiatives.
• Lee CountyminorOthersWatering regulations partnership with Lee County municipalities as part of drought management and water conservation efforts.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Missouri Botanical Garden: One of the oldest public botanical gardens in the U.S., with comparable scale in education, conservation, and horticulture programs. Direct relevance is reinforced by the fact that VP & CRO Andrea Nickrent spent 11 years leading membership and capital campaign efforts at Missouri Botanical before joining Naples.
• Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden: A leading tropical public garden in Miami with parallel missions in tropical plant conservation, education, and horticulture. Highly comparable climate, plant collections, and conservation programming make it Naples' closest Florida competitor.
• Marie Selby Botanical Gardens: Sarasota-based public garden focused on tropical and subtropical plants, particularly epiphytes and orchids — closely overlapping Naples' tropical collections and conservation work within the same Florida Gulf Coast region.
• Longwood Gardens: Major U.S. public garden operating at scale with comparable combinations of horticulture, education, conservation, ticketed admission, membership, and event programming. Provides a benchmark for premium public garden operating models.
• Atlanta Botanical Garden: Large-scale public garden with active plant conservation programs and substantial membership/event revenue streams. Comparable mix of tropical and temperate collections, plus similar emphasis on education and donor-funded capital expansion.
• Chicago Botanic Garden: Large multi-feature public garden with comparable horticulture, conservation research, and youth education programming. Serves as a useful operating benchmark for sustainable landscaping and nature-based solutions initiatives.
• San Diego Botanic Garden: Regional public garden emphasizing conservation, education, and tropical/subtropical collections — closely mirroring Naples' mix of climate-appropriate horticulture and community-driven programming.
• United States Botanic Garden: Federally operated public garden in Washington, D.C., with strong conservation, sustainability, and education mandates. Relevant for benchmarking federally-aligned sustainability standards (LEED) and conservation programming.
• Brooklyn Botanic Garden: Major urban public garden combining horticultural display, robust education programs, and plant conservation. Relevant peer for benchmarking membership-driven revenue models and seasonal event programming.

Broad incumbents

• New York Botanical Garden: One of the largest and most established U.S. botanical gardens, with global plant conservation leadership and major education programming. A broader incumbent that demonstrates the scale ceiling for premium public garden operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/naplesbotanical
• Xx.com/NaplesBotanical
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/naples-botanical-garden

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Naples Botanical Garden